Otorohanga College

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background 

This Profile Report was written within five months of the Education Review Office and ​Ōtorohanga College​ working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz 

Context  

Ōtorohanga College is located in the regional Waikato town of Ōtorohanga. The school caters for learners from Years 9 to 13. A new principal and deputy principal were appointed in 2022. 

​​Ōtorohanga College​’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to: 

• support all students to progress to their highest academic potential 
• support wellbeing with equitable, inclusive and restorative practices 
• strengthen partnerships between the College and the community 
• ensure legal, ethical and student focused governance of the College. 

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on ​Ōtorohanga College​’s website. 

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well assessment is used to plan effective teaching and learning programmes to meet the needs of learners to raise achievement for all.  

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is: 

• to ensure assessment tools are fully understood and used to plan appropriate programmes of work 
• to facilitate collaboration amongst teachers through a consistent approach to planning with a sharp focus on raising achievement for all 
• to further develop school data management systems to track and monitor progress over time.  

The school expects to see: 

• the use of assessment information to plan suitable programmes of work for all learners 
• a consistent approach planning and delivery of teaching programmes across the school which responds to the needs of learners 
• a well-developed system for gathering, tracking and monitoring progress and acceleration to enable teachers to quickly respond to the needs of learners 
• improved outcomes for all learners and particularly for those who are not yet at the expected curriculum level.  

Strengths 

The school can draw from the following strengths to support it to evaluate how well assessment is used to plan effective teaching and learning programmes to meet the needs of learners with the aim of raising achievement for all. 

• a new leadership team, who with the Board and community have a clear sense of direction for the school 
• an organised, planned and considered approach to the demands of school leadership 
• Board members who bring significant experience to the governance role.  

Where to next? 

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:  

• identifying professional development needs in the use of assessment to plan effectively 
• reviewing the systems and processes used to effectively manage assessment information 
• seeking the support of expertise to help facilitate the development of these processes in the school. 

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.   

Shelley Booysen 
Director of Schools 

​​21 March 2024​ 

About the School 

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.  educationcounts.govt.nz/home